God's Provision

Well, good afternoon everyone and lovely to be here today. My name is Paul, I'm part of the leadership team here and it's my privilege to bring us God's Word this morning.

Let me just guide you in terms of what we're going to be doing for the rest of our time together.

I will be speaking for a while and after that we'll be having an opportunity since it's the first Sunday of the month to share communion together for all those who want to stay.

We are in week three of looking at the Lord's Prayer and my reading today is in Matthew chapter 6 verse 11.

Matthew 6:11

That is the Lord's Prayer and the reading, the verses we're looking at are just verse 11.

Reading is, give us this day our daily bread. I wonder if I managed to complete the reading before some of you had found it in your Bibles.

Well, don't worry, you've got plenty of time to find it because that's where we're going to be dwelling.

Just in these seven words, give us this day our daily bread.

And it's been wonderful for me to be able to really just reflect on those seven words as I've been preparing.

Let me remind you of the context.

Graham spoke to us last Sunday on the subject of attuning our life to the Father's frequency.

As he focused on the words just before that,

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And he really challenged us to look out and to look at the church and to look into our lives

and to reflect on what the Lord's will would be in each of those spheres.

And after such lofty thoughts,

in some ways,

as I've focused on the Lord's Prayer,

it seems a little bit surprising that the very next words,

grand themes about God's glory,

and we go on to important themes about repentance and forgiveness,

are these seven simple words.

Give us this day our daily bread.

I'd like to look at each word.

And if it's okay with you,

I'd like to look at the last word first,

the word bread.

Because as I've studied this over recent days,

I've discovered that through the history of the church,

theologians have sometimes got themselves into a terrible fankel over the word bread.

I think so much so that it seems there's almost been massive fights and disagreements

over what Jesus meant when he set out this model prayer and said,

give us this day our daily bread.

And some have thought,

well, clearly Jesus couldn't possibly be referring to bread.

That would be in some ways,

you know,

inappropriate.

So he must have been referring to bread as an illustration of God's words.

And indeed,

one of our earlier songs quite rightly used the idea of daily bread being the way in which God feeds us through his word.

And that's perfectly biblical,

but some have perhaps said that's all it can be.

Others have said,

no,

no,

no,

you've got that wrong.

When we're talking about give us this day our daily bread,

there's a reference there to communion,

right?

The bread that is the body of Christ,

and it's a reference to the fact that we need to be fed by Jesus.

And we do so as we take communion.

It's clearly not just bread.

And then right about the time of the Reformation,

it seems that along came others,

and apologies to the theologians,

I know I'm generalizing pretty broadly here,

right?

But they came along and said,

maybe bread means bread.

And actually,

maybe it is the case that when Jesus says,

give us this day our daily bread,

it's okay to pray for the stuff that we need.

Bread is an incredibly universal item.

So basic.

I wonder how many of you have bought bread this week.

Just in case some of you are not sure what bread is,

I thought I would bring along a loaf of bread.

One of the many that I have purchased this week.

And I've been among those in the UK who have purchased 11 million loaves of bread this week.

I bought this one in Morrison's.

It's a Coburg Cobb and it costs 50 pence.

I was reflecting this morning,

I could definitely have paid six times the price

had I bought it in one of the little boutiques in Brunstfield.

But of course,

that may have been worth it because it wouldn't have come in one of these plastic wrappers.

It would have come in a paper bag.

And maybe even slightly more stale.

But nevertheless,

I might have quite enjoyed paying six times the price.

But what sort of bread have you purchased this week?

I wonder.

And did any of us pray beforehand that we would be able to have, purchase or receive that bread?

Or did we proceed with, I suppose, presumption, maybe understandably,

that there'd be no issues whatsoever with us obtaining that bread?

I suspect most of us were in the latter category.

So why then is it that Jesus includes this reference to bread in this model prayer?

Well, I suppose the first point that I take from it is perhaps a recognition that God knows all that we need.

He knows and understands our need for food, for water, but also our needs for so many other things.

And I think in this very basic, in this encouragement to pray for our most basic needs,

we are to be reminded in our prayers that there is nothing,

there is nothing too small that we cannot bring to God in our prayers.

And there is nothing too big that we cannot bring to God in our prayers.

Reflect, please, for just a minute on the things that you've prayed for this week.

And are you remembering, am I remembering,

to bring to God my prayers and my needs for the small things,

and also for the big things?

Let's unpack this a bit more as we think about some of the other seven words.

And I'd like to look at the first two now.

The words, give us.

And my title, as we go through the other six words, I'll have three titles.

And this one, I suggest, gives us a sense of childlike dependence.

You see, there's no particular deal going on here.

This is not about some sort of contractual relationship.

This is not about us saying to our Heavenly Father,

now we have done certain things for you,

and in return, what we require is this back.

But in this incredibly simple phrase, give us,

I think we see a sense of simplicity and a great sense of need.

And I'd like you to imagine just a child and the needs of a child.

Isn't it the case that adulthood brings such a great sense of self-sufficiency in many ways?

We're adults and we need to be in control and we need to have a plan for the day,

for the week, for the month, for the year.

And we look at our bank statement and we look at our pensions savings,

our statement, and we look at what we've got and we work out whether it's sufficient

and we worry about it and we stress about it.

And children do none of those things.

Children look to their parents and expect that their parents will quite simply provide for them.

Even though Elizabeth and I's children are growing up a bit and are 8 and 11,

there is still a sense of absolute dependence on us for their food.

And there is also an absolute expectation that it's certainly not the case

that the Tesco shopping will be delivered on a Monday

and it will go into the cupboard and we'll then say,

well, just fend for yourselves.

The food's there.

Rather, there's a whole process of planning, of preparing, of cooking, of cutting,

of serving, of providing, of clearing, of washing,

which we as parents, or in most cases Elizabeth as mother,

is undertaking in order to provide for our children who are expecting to receive from us.

And I wonder if we might need to recapture,

as we focus on this few small words in this incredibly important prayer,

our sense of childlike dependence on God for everything.

I wonder if some of us have become a little bit too sophisticated and self-sufficient.

And whether at times that necessary planning for life and for adulthood

ends up leading to a sense that in our faith and our relationship with God,

we are self-sufficient in that sphere as well.

We're not.

Let's remember the words of the hymn which says,

Nothing in my hands I bring

Simply to thy cross I cling

Naked, run to thee for dress

Helpless, look to thee for grace

Foul I to the fountain fly

Wash me, saviour, or I die

Last time I was speaking, I shared with you some of my challenges this year.

As I suffered a tricky problem with my eyes

and couldn't drive and couldn't work for a little while

Of realising quite suddenly

that even such a small thing going wrong

could have profound consequences

and making me realise I am not in control.

And challenging me about whether actually

I'm living my life with a sense of

childlike dependence on my heavenly father.

That week, one of the books that I read

was a great book by Louis Giglio

called I Am Not But I Know I Am

and it's a book based on the story of John the Baptist

as he looked to Jesus and said

Jesus must increase and I must decrease

and Louis Giglio says this in the book

Admitting we are not God

not in control

not running anything

not responsible for everyone's wellbeing

not the solution for everything and everyone

not at the centre of all things

does not belittle us

but rather frees us.

I am not

but I know

the one who is

I am.

Let's be people

let's be a church

marked by

childlike

dependence

on God

for our bread

and for every other aspect

of life.

Let's move on to some of the other words.

Give us

this day

and then the word

daily.

Give us

this day

our

daily bread

and if we've thought about

childlike

dependence

I think those

three words

this day

and daily

encourage us

to reflect on our

continual

dependence

on God.

Yesterday's faith

in many respects

won't be sufficient

and all of us

are invited

once again

today

to trust God

afresh

for all that we need.

If I

left that bread

and decided

that I would keep it sitting

and would come back to it

for my food

in

two or three

or four weeks time

well

would that be sensible?

Of course not.

It would be rotten.

And so

bread

is something

that needs to be

renewed

and refreshed

so regularly

and for some of you

you'll already be there

in the story

of God's people

in the book of Exodus

in chapter 16

where God provided to them

manna from heaven

that flaky stuff

a bit like frosties

that was landing

on the ground

when they were

struggling without

any food at all

and they looked

and they thought

this is fantastic

that these frosties are here

and some of them

gathered up

tons and tons and tons

and thought

we'll keep it

and we'll keep it in containers

and it will last

for many days

and God had already

told them

look you don't need

to do that

this stuff's only

for today

unless the next day

is going to be a Sabbath

in which case

it's going to be

for two days

but some of them

didn't listen

and they didn't trust God

they didn't trust

that God would give them

each day

their daily bread

and so they hoarded

it all up

and what happened

in day two

the stuff was full

of maggots

it was absolutely rotten

and God was challenging

God's people

way back then

in the book of Exodus

that what he wanted

was a people

who would look to God

in continual dependence

yesterday the manna came

they'd have to wake up

and rely on God

providing them again

for manna

and they'd have to

wake up the next day

with nothing

but absolutely relying

on God providing them

again with manna

and they'd wake up

the next day

again utterly relying

on God providing them

with that manna

Lamentations chapter 3

Lamentations 3 · chapter mention

says this

because of the Lord's

great love

we are not consumed

for his compassions

never fail

they are new

every morning

great is your faithfulness

I say to myself

the Lord is my portion

therefore I will wait

for him

I want to encourage us

that for some of us

we might feel

that our trust

our confidence

in God

is being shaken

we've already heard

and thought

and prayed

for members

of our church

who this week

are wrestling

and struggling

with serious health issues

and others experiencing

loss

and others with

problems and issues

that many of us

will not even be aware of

we come to God

this morning

who assures us

that his compassion

never fails

and that his love

is new

every morning

and who invites us

to live a life

of childlike dependence

and of continual dependence

the God who will provide

for us anew

on Monday

and on Tuesday

and on Wednesday

and every day

ahead

and who invites us

to simply

trust him

but let's not miss

the final two words

that I really want

to focus on

you've noticed them

I'm sure

give us

this day

our daily bread

that prayer

could so easily be

give me

this day

my daily bread

but it's not

a prayer

of individual

dependence

on God

it's a prayer

that speaks

of collective

dependence

dependence

if you're taking notes

we need to come together

and lift up our hearts

and voices together

saying God collectively

we need you

in so many ways

the Bible speaks

of us being

a body

that isn't

self-sufficient

but that is

beautifully

interconnected

so that every part

might support

the other part

in meeting

the needs

of the other

and very simply

I've been thinking

of it

that some of you

might be praying

for a particular

need

and it's another

part of the body

that God is equipping

to provide

for that need

folks

some of us

are the answers

to the prayers

of some of the others

who are sitting here

in this room today

that's a beautiful way

in which God makes

his church work

and so we need

to be praying

for one another

we need to be looking

out for one another

we need to be willing

to share with each other

where we are at

and what our needs are

because God may have

some of the answers

to those needs

and the people

that are sitting

right next to you

or behind you

or you'll pass

today so please

let's not think

that God's encouraging

us to pray

individualistic prayers

only about our needs

he's not

and time and again

throughout the Lord's prayer

there is a sense

of our collective

worship towards God

our collective need

for forgiveness

and our collective

need for daily bread

let's look around us

to what extent

might we be the answers

to some of the prayers

that others are praying

but as we draw

towards a close

I want us to think

for just a moment

or two

about what the

consequences

for our lives

might be

if we are really

to be people

who are marked

by an increased

sense

of childlike

dependence

on our God

of continual

dependence

and of collective

dependence

well what are

the consequences

if we as individuals

have this sense

of being utterly

dependent on God

for everything

I suppose

the one word

that has been

in my mind

as I've reflected

on that

is the word

gratitude

if we

do not seek

to go about life

absolutely

self-sufficient

but if we

recognise

that our

every breath

and our

every need

is utterly

in God's

hands

to provide

and we

are not

sufficient

for anything

and we

then discover

that God

provides for us

in so many

ways

surely the

response

ought to be

one

of

outpouring

gratitude

to God

I was reading

a book

this week

called

Ruthless

Trust

and the

author

speaks

of spending

some time

with a group

of older

black women

in the deep

south of America

down in New

Orleans

and his

comment

was that

the one

phrase

that he

heard these

women say

time and

time again

day after

day was

this

thank you

Jesus

thank you

Jesus

thank you

Jesus

what are

our levels

of gratitude

folks

to Jesus

for all

that he

is doing

for us

and in

our lives

I wonder

if we're

marked more

by a sense

of grumbling

than we

are by a

sense of

gratitude

and I

look into

my own

heart and

life with

that challenge

before I

look out

and present

it to

any

others

there was

also a

story that

I read

of a

woman who

was

desperately

ill in

hospital

and

gradually

her

physical

functions

were becoming

increasingly

impaired

but she

was someone

who was

looking

to

Jesus

and a

young man

went in

to visit

her in

the hospital

and she

said to

him I'm

just so

grateful to

Jesus

for the

fact that

I still

have the

power to

move my

neck and

my head

even though

there was

no power

to move

any other

part of

her body

and he

said that's

wonderful

and he

visited her

a few weeks

later and

the power

to move

her head

and neck

had gone

and she

said I'm

just so

thankful to

Jesus

that I

still have

the power

to see

and hear

and he

said to her

in the course

of that

visit he

said that's

wonderful he

said but

what will

happen when

you can no

longer see

and hear

she said I'll

just be so

thankful to

Jesus that

you still come

and visit

me and I

was touched

by that

simple

example

of gratitude

and I

wonder if

some of us

are wasting

our time

and our

energy

grumbling

rather than

being grateful

I wonder if

some of us

need to

recapture a

sense of

childlike

dependence on

God

for everything

and if in

doing so

we might find

ourselves

increasingly

grateful

for all

the ways

in which

he provides

our daily

bread

but as I

close I

want to

recognize

that for

some of us

we may be

struggling a

bit with

the fact

that we

feel we

have been

praying for

things and

we've not yet

seen the

answer

we have been

praying for

daily bread

we've been

praying for

the job

we've been

praying for

the better

health

we've been

praying for

the renewed

energy

and we feel

it's just

not happening

and there we

see our

childlike

dependence

being tested

because we're

asking and it

doesn't seem to

be happening

and maybe we

can learn from

the children as

they were

speaking about

waiting

or maybe we

can learn from

people like

Joni Erex and

Tada who

writes this

when life is

rosy we may

slide by with

knowing about

Jesus

with imitating

him and

quoting him

and speaking

of him

but only in

suffering do

we know

Jesus

we learn

things about

God in

suffering that

we cannot

learn any

other way

now I

can't do

justice to

that topic

in the time

that we've

got

it's something

that we can

maybe discuss

with each

other why is

it that

sometimes it

seems that our

prayers to

our good

father do

not receive

the answer

that we expect

or the answer

that we want

but as we

think of our

encouragement

today to be

people who

will simply

trust and

depend on

God

let's finish

with this

one verse

from God's

word

1st John

John 4:16

chapter 4

verse 16

says this

we know

and rely

on the

love

God has

for us

maybe that's

a verse for

some of you

this week

to take into

whatever situation

you are

facing

God encourages

all of us

to be people

of childlike

continual

and collective

dependence on

him

who can say

no matter

the circumstances

or no matter

the challenges

whether we feel

that the larders

are full

or are empty

we know

and rely

on

the love

God has

for us

let's pause

reflect on this

and pray together

thank you

Jesus

thank you

Jesus

for all

the ways

in which

you are

providing

for us

for our

physical

needs

thank you

that we

can bring

them to

you

thank you

there's

nothing

too small

to bring

to you

for our

spiritual

needs

thank you

Jesus

for the way

in which

you have

provided

life

and salvation

through your

own sacrifice

on the cross

for us

thank you

Jesus

may we be

people

may we be

a church

that relies

on

that depends

on

and that

looks to

you

for all

in this

life

Amen

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you

you